The 'Same Old Love' songstress will be presented with the award at Billboard Women in Music Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on November 30.
- November 1, 2017
AceShowbiz -
Billboard has announced that Selena Gomez is Billboard's 2017 Woman of the Year. The "Good for You" songstress will be presented with the award at Billboard Women in Music Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on November 30.
John Amato, the president of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, stated that Selena was chosen to receive the award as she frequently inspired young women all around the world to be authentic and to not be afraid to raise their voices.
"Not only is Selena soaring on the charts, but she continuously inspires young women everywhere to be authentic, give back and to not be afraid to use their voice," he said. "She is never afraid to speak her mind and has used her platform to advocate for the needs of others. We are thrilled to be able to honor her as our Woman of the Year."
Shortly after the news broke, Selena expressed her gratitude on Twitter on October 31. "Thank you @billboard!" she tweeted. The actress/singer also received a lot of congratulatory messages from her fans.
Thank you @billboard! https://t.co/VVhjZjJQjN
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) 31 Oktober 2017
Selena will join an illustrious group of previous Woman of the Year honorees, including Lady GaGa, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Beyonce Knowles and last year's winner, Madonna, who delivered a moving speech about feminism and sexism.
Prior to this, Selena, together with her longtime friend Francia Raisa, spoke out about the kidney transplant that she got in an interview for "Today" show. "My kidneys were just done. That was it," she said. "I didn't want to ask a single person in my life and that was the day, when I came home, I found she volunteered and did it."
The former Disney star then added that what she went through with her best friend wasn't easy. "I just hope that this inspires people to feel good that there are really good people in the world," she remarked as tears rolled down her cheek.
